Track listings
I’ll Find You / Answers / Dissolve / What Thought Did / If I Could / Falter / Shine / Drowning / Oratorio / Silver / Gone Too Far / Avalanche
Columbia Records
Currently being hailed as the new messiahs of the Britrock scene along with bands like A and Lost Prophets, this is the debut album from Hundred Reasons.
Combining the hardcore soundscapes of bands like Fugazi with the more pop oriented direction of Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World, Ideas Above Our Station is an album that manages to cover both bases.
I’ll Find You, sets the tone perfectly as muscular guitar riffs blend seamlessly with the melodic vocals. Coming on like a British version of the Foo Fighters, Hundred Reasons take the same approach of combining the best of the last ten years of post-hardcore and injecting them with a healthy dose of melody and harmonies.
Answers, takes the same approach, as walls of guitars battle it out with the vocals for supremacy over a background of flailing drums. What Thought Did, takes things in a heavier direction, clocking in at under three minutes this is a compact collection of riffs and energy that almost collapses under its own weight, and you can almost taste the sweat from vocalist Colin Doran as he spits out the words in a primal scream.
Falter, is the bands first attempt to slow things down a little, what could be described as a post-hardcore power ballad, but fortunately sounding much better than that. Gently dissonant guitars crash along while the vocals keep things pop friendly, culminating in some bona fide choruses that hint at things to come.
Silver, starts off with some gentle guitar work that eventually gives way to a guitar riff that owes as much to power pop bands like Cheap Trick or Kiss as it does to hardcore. This is far and away the most overtly pop moment on the album, with massive choruses and synth breaks that show a bit more depth to their sound than you might imagine.
On, Gone Too Far, they go in the other direction, with a pure hardcore approach, where screamed out vocals blend with huge guitar riffs, owing a huge debt to bands like Quicksand and Bluetip.
Ideas Above Our Station, is an assured debut album, that manages to showcase their sound with definite class and intent. Moments of it do come a little too close to the Foo Fighters, with their mixture of hardcore and pop sounding a little derivative at times.
Hundred Reasons, though, have come up with an album that sounds fantastic at high volumes and has definite moments of huge promise.
Biography
back to top Surrey based band, Hundred Reasons came about in 1999, after members from two bands, Jetpack and Floor decided to form a band together.
After playing a string of live shows throughout London, they released their debut EP, One. The band continued playing live and in 2000 recorded a Radio One Evening Session and also managed to win a Kerrang award for best new British band.
November 2000, saw them headlining a tour of Scotland sponsored by Radio One, as well as numerous other support slots all across the country.
In 2001, they signed to Columbia Records and release their second EP, Two.
In June they played as support to Incubus across the UK and Europe, climaxing in a triumphant show at London’s Brixton Academy.
2002, saw the band having their first top 30 single with Silver and debut album, Ideas Above Our Station entering the album charts in the top 5.
one.
Line Up
- Colin Doran – Vocals
- Larry Hibbit – Guitars / Vocals
- Paul Townsend – Guitars / Vocals
- Andy Gilmour – Bass
- Andy Bews – Drums
RECOMMENDED – If You Like This Album
- MY VITRIOL – Finelines
- JIMMY EAT WORLD – Bleed American
- RIVAL SCHOOLS – United By Fate
- FUGAZI – Thirteen Songs
- LOSTPROPHETS – The Fake Sound Of Progress
- FOO FIGHTERS – The Color And The Shape
Discography
IDEAS ABOVE OUR STATION (2002 – Columbia Records)
- I’ll Find You
- Answers
- Dissolve
- What Thought Did
- If I Could
- Falter
- Shine
- Drowning
- Oratorio
- Silver
- Gone Too Far
- Avalanche
Mike Bond - UKmusicsearch 2007
